Clamp



April2 1,-1942. GQHACKERMAN 2,280,361

CLAMP Filed April 15, 1940 INVENTOR. GEORGE H. ACKERMAN QWM;

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 21, 1 942 "UNITED STATES PATENT or ies CLAMP George Ackerman, Webster Groves, Mo., as-

signor to Missouri Rolling Mill Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application April 15, 1940, Serial No. 329,765

1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to clamps. More particularly, this invention has to do with a certain new and useful improvement in clamps of the type shown in Letters Patent No. 1,855,550, issued on April 26, 1932, to Walter L. Hyde for T-iron joint and has for its objects the improvement generally of such so-called T-iron joints and the provision of a clamp for, joining one T-section to another not only at an end of the desired location or position therealong.

And with the above and other objects in view,

my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a reduced perspective view of a clamp of my invention rigidly joining a T-iron section to, and upon an end of, a second or companion T-iron section;

Figures 2. and 3 are fragmental side and end elevational views, respectively, of the clamp as in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken approximately along the line 4-4, Figure '2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the companion members of the'clamp; and

Figures 6, 7, and 8 are reduced side elevational views of the clamp rigidlyjoining the oneT-iron member to, and in different selected locations upon. the other T-iron member.

Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to the drawing, which illus- I trates a preferred embodiment of my invention, the clamp comprises a pair of companion substantially identical members A, B, each having the form,,shape, and contour best seen in Figure 5, and each being a casting or constructed from a suitable section of sheet metal pressed or otherwise fabricated to, as shown, include a somewhat oblong rectangular fiat plate or body-portion I having a so-called relatively long straight margin a and provided therealong with a channel 2 and a preferably shorter straight margin b and likewise provided therealong with a channel 3, said channels 2, 3, having their ways opening upon the same side face 0 of the plate I and the plate I being cornerwise cut-away, as at d, for endwise spacing the channels 2, 3, one from the otherfor accommodating a T-iron head-flange therebetween, as presently more fully appears. Diagonally opposite the cut-away corner d,,the plate I is preferably obliquely cut-away and thereby provided with a'beveled margin e connecting the remaining and correspondingly reducedplate margins g, which are respectively parallel with the plate margins b, a, the plate I along its said beveled margin e being, for pur poses presently appearing, laterally flanged, as at 4, which, as best seen in Figure 5, is presented laterally outwardly from the plate-face c.

The channels 2, 3, of each of the companion plates A, B, are sized for accommodating and fitting the marginal portions of respective headflanges 5, 6, of the particular T-members or sections C, D, to be joined. Accordingly, in use and practice, and assuming that the one T-member C is to be joined to, and upon an end of the other T-member D, as in Figures 1, 2, 3, amid, the one T-rnember C is disposed in its desired relative location with respect to the companion T-member D, and the clamp-members A, B, in oppositely or opposed relation one to the other engaged therewith, as shown, and then secured together by means of a suitable bolt E projected through suitable registering apertures I provided for the purpose in the plates I of the respective members A, B. In such engagement, the opposed flanges 4 of the members A, B, are adapted for marginal abutment, as best seen in Figure 4, for maintaining the plates I in substantial parallelism and eliminating any angular separation of the channels 2, 3, under the head-flange engaging pull of the bolt E and its nut 8.

Similarly, the one T-member C may be endwise abutted against the web 9 of the companion member D at a selected location therealong with its head-flanges 55 presented upwardly, as in Figure 6, or downwardly, as in Figure '7, or the member C may be endwise abutted against the studded head 6 of the member D at a selected location therealong, as in Figure 8, and in like manner rigidly joined and secured in such selectedUarrangement by the clamp-members A, B, which uniquely permit convenient manipulation thereof to meet substantially any selected or desired joint-formation between the T-members C, D.

Preferably, as here shown, the T-member D is in the form of a studded fence-post for ground-embedment and anchorage at anend, and by means of my new clamp the supplemental fence-member or T-section C may be rigidly secured and joined to, and at substantially any desired location upon, the member D for facilitating the stringing of top fence-wires or the like or other desired purpose.

The clamp is simple and durable in form and structure, may be cheaply manufactured, may be conveniently manipulated, and is exceedingly efiicient in the performance of its intended unctions.

It is to be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the clamp may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In combination with a pair 01 T-beams disposed at right-angles to each other, a pair of complementarily shaped clamp-forming plates having inwardly turned marginal channels disposed at right-angles to each other for respectively gripping the cross-webs of the T-beams and having an oblique margin provided with an inturned flange spaced at its ends inwardly from the ends of the channels for extending at its ends adjacent; the inwardly presented margins of the center ribs of the T-beams in the provision of a joint-brace, and means for securing said plates to each other and to the T-beams in the formation of a tight joint.

GEORGE H. ACKERMAN. 

